TheDC Morning: Newseum for the morally blind

1.) Newseum for the morally blind— A museum of journalism apparently can’t tell the difference between a journalistic organization and a terrorist organization. TheDC’s Vince Coglianese reports:

“Two people who worked for the Palestinian terror group Hamas will be honored in Washington Monday as ‘journalists’ after they were killed in Gaza last year. The Newseum — a journalism museum — on Monday will honor 84 people who lost their lives in 2012 while covering the news. All 84 names will be added to the permanent Journalists Memorial inside the museum. … Among those being honored are two terrorists — Mahmoud Al-Kumi and Hussam Salama — who worked for Al-Aqsa Television, a Hamas-funded network. The United States government considers Al-Aqsa to be a terrorist organization. ‘Also designated today is Al-Aqsa Television,’ the U.S. Treasury Department announced in 2010, ‘a television station financed and controlled by Hamas.’ According to the Treasury Department, ‘Al-Aqsa is a primary Hamas media outlet and airs programs and music videos designed to recruit children to become Hamas armed fighters and suicide bombers upon reaching adulthood.'”

Remember, Hamas’ charter not only calls for the destruction of Israel, but the killing of Jews more generally. You might call that genocidal. Terrorist organizations don’t run news outlets; they run indoctrination stations. The leadership of the Newseum is exhibiting a gross moral blindness. Shame on them.

2.) A Democrat’s Democrat — Many Democrats are arguing that the Benghazi hearings are purely political. But the prime witness is anything but. TheDC’s Caroline May reports:

“A key Benghazi whistle-blower who has allegedly been punished for speaking out against the administration is a registered Democrat who voted for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The lawyer of Gregory Hicks, the former U.S. deputy chief of mission in Libya who testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Wednesday, confirmed the information to The Daily Caller on Saturday. According to the lawyer, Victoria Toensing, Hicks voted for Clinton during the 2008 primary, and for then-Illinois Sen. Obama in the 2008 general election. He again voted for Obama in 2012.”

TheDC Morning does find it interesting that, given his testimony, Hicks voted for President Obama in 2012, after the attack.

3.) IRS Flashback — In light of the IRS’s announcement that it was targeting tea party organizations for more scrutiny, the story of Frank VanderSloot seems relevant. TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein reports:

“Just months after being slimed by President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign, Mitt Romney supporter and businessman Frank VanderSloot was informed that he was going to be audited not only by the Internal Revenue Service, but by the Labor Department as well. VanderSloot’s saga was told by columnist Kimberley Strassel in the Wall Street Journal last July. In April 2012, VanderSloot, who served as the national co-chair of Mitt Romney’s presidential finance committee, was one of eight Romney backers to be defamed as ‘wealthy individuals with less-than-reputable records’ in a post on the Obama campaign’s website. The post, entitled ‘Behind the curtain: a brief history of Romney’s donors,’ singled out VanderSloot for being a ‘litigious, combative and a bitter foe of the gay rights movement.’ Two months later, the IRS informed VanderSloot he and his wife were going to be audited, Strassel reported. Two weeks after that, VanderSloot was notified by the Labor Department that it was going to ‘audit workers he employs on his Idaho-based cattle ranch under the federal visa program for temporary agriculture workers,’ reported Strassel.”

Now, there is no evidence the IRS also targeted individuals for their political beliefs like they did conservative nonprofit groups. But the IRS’ recent admission does make one question what else might have gone on.

UPDATE: The Newseum is now re-evaluating its decision to honor the two Hamas terrorists.

4.) Defining discrimination down— If this is what counts as discrimination these days, well, things must be pretty swell in America. TheDC’s Caroline May reports:

“A group of Spanish-speaking custodial workers in Colorado have filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that the Auraria Higher Education Center in Denver discriminated against them by failing to provide Spanish translations. The complaint, filed last week by a dozen custodial workers, contends that the employees suffered unfair working conditions because the AHEC failed to provide Spanish translations of policies and procedures. ‘Other higher education facilities including CU and UNC provide information to their custodial employees in a number of different languages,’ Tim Markham, attorney for Colorado WINS, the union representing the workers, said in a statement. ‘We’ve been discussing this with Auraria for a year with no movement on their part, and this is the final step.'”

5.) Tweet of Yesterday— David Burge:“Unnamed low level employee, in the regional office, by mistake.” – always the winning answer in the government version of “Clue”